The close-but-no-fight-song days of Bates finding creative ways to lose NESCAC football games were a distant memory Saturday, when the Bobcats took one away from the Tufts Jumbos in dramatic fashion.

Ivan Reese capped a 17-play, 96-yard drive, plunging in from a yard out with 42 seconds remaining and boosting Bates to a 20-16 victory at Garcelon Field.

Bates (1-1) beat Tufts (0-2) for the fourth straight season — their weightiest winning streak against any opponent since 2008 — and extended the Jumbos’ losing streak to 24 games, the longest in all divisions of NCAA football.

It was a wild one, despite the relatively low score. The teams combined for nearly 900 yards of total offense.

Tufts’ Jack Doll completed 46 of 67 passes, including nine to Jack Cooleen of Falmouth, but Bates didn’t allow a score through the air.

The Bobcats did most of their damage on the ground, topped by senior slotback Shawn Doherty’s career-high 182 yards on 24 carries.

Bates jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before Tufts rallied to take a 16-14 lead midway through the fourth.

Doll had a 1-yard touchdown run. Jackson Bockhorst kicked field goals of 32, 26 and 27 yards, the latter putting the Jumbos in front with 11:48 left.

Tufts then partially blocked Charlie Donahue’s bid from 37 yards, ending the Bates kicker’s streak of made field goals at 11, one shy of the New England Division III record.

The Jumbos drove to midfield before Bates forced a punt. Willie Holmquist’s boot pinned the Bobcats at their own 4 with 6:25 to go.

Patrick Dugan’s 32-yard completion to Kevin Davis breathed life into Bates’ winning drive. Later, a seven-yard run by Ryan Curit (21 rushes, 93 yards) cashed in fourth-and-2 at the Tufts 30.

Curit pounded out another first down to the 1 to set up Reese’s first college TD. Tufts denied Reese on the two-point conversion.

Mike Rando nearly broke Bates’ heart on the ensuing kickoff, but Pat Gilligan knocked him out of bounds at the Bates 41. Doll led the Jumbos to the Bates 10 before a tackle by Steven Hild killed the clock.

Bates threatened to make it look much easier.

Doherty went 48 yards for the first Bates TD after a Matt Comstock fumble recovery. Michael Lee’s interception of Doll set up another Donahue score, this one from 7 yards.

Tufts kicked a field goal before punting on five of its next six possessions and trailed 14-3 at the half.

koakes@sunjournal.com